My Sunday column warned that the Minnesota Supreme Court could lower a curtain of secrecy over child protection records filed in juvenile court. Those records have played an essential role in the Star Tribune's continuing investigation of Minnesota's child protection system, including Sunday's story about the lack of coordination among those responsible for the care of 6-year-old Kendrea Johnson.
Below is a guardian ad litem report about Kendrea's case, filed in Hennepin County juvenile court in June 2014. The only redactions are the name and birthdate of her sibling. Is there sensitive information in this report? No doubt. But without reports like this, I don't know how we would understand how juvenile judges and social workers make decisions about Minnesota's most vulnerable children.
